Becoming the Pisces Gold Saint
by Gold Saint Mu
Summary: Lost Canvas. About Albafica going to Sanctuary, meeting Aldebaran, and becoming the next Pisces Gold Saint.


_Disclaimer: Original content by Masami Kurumada and Shiori Teshirogi._

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**Becoming the Pisces Gold Saint**

Unsurprisingly, even when he was young, Albafica was always told he was a beautiful boy. It annoyed him back then as much as it would later. Girls were beautiful; guys were handsome. Ok, kids were cute so he could accept that one, but cute often led to beautiful.

Maybe people expected him to make his living as a gigolo. This was Greece after all, and boy love wasn't unknown or uncommon. He'd been solicited since as long as he could remember, before he learned his letters and numbers, which was at a very young age because he was a smart kid. There was something about the way people looked at him and wanted to touch him—the way they did touch him after he began living alone. He was too young to fight them off. He knew it and instead ran and hid.

He refused to beg for food. He'd get what he wanted, but the price was too high. Even if the person who took him in was honest, the same could not be said of the person's relatives or friends. No one could watch over him all the time. That had been true even when he'd had parents. So he stole his food but was ashamed of himself for it. He didn't get caught or he'd really be sorry, but mostly he knew it was just wrong.

It didn't take him long to figure out what to do with himself. An orphanage was out of the question for the same reason as any other place. But his parents were killed by specters, and he knew who fought against specters. They fought for peace and justice, and they fought for those who could not protect themselves. Not only would he be safe there, but he resolved to learn to be one of them—one of the Saints of Athena!

He went to the Sanctuary and considered approaching one of the saints, but there were lots of people who wanted to be future saints, an entire courtyard of trainees, and he didn't want to cut in line—that would be wrong. He couldn't lie or steal anymore if he wanted to be a saint. He never wanted to in the first place. He decided to prove himself, and because he wasn't strong enough to fight and win against the trainees, he decided instead to climb up the steps of the Sanctuary and ask the Pope to admit him as a boarding school student.

Luckily, there were twelve rest stops along the way to the Pope's chambers, each corresponding to one of the zodiacal constellations. He wasn't lucky enough to catch sight of one of the Gold Saints, but he could feel their presences, and that made him happy. The servants of the temples were delighted to talk to him and let him pass.

Of course, most commented on what a beautiful boy he was. He just smiled and didn't run away like he might have in other situations. He was surprised though. Some of them did have that look. Even here, in the midst of the land of justice, security was not absolute. It was an important lesson.

The Pope of Sanctuary, the man who was charged with guiding and teaching the young Goddess Athena and reigning over the Saints designated after the 88 constellations, held general audiences on Wednesdays. Still, not just anyone could see him, but a smile got him through the door.

He couldn't read the Pope's eyes because they were shadowed by the golden helmet, but he could read body language and knew the Pope was surprised to see him.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary, young man," the Pope said.

Albafica really liked the sound of that. Young man. Yes, that's what he was. Not a beautiful boy but a young man. "Thank you, your Highness." Or should it be 'your Grace?' He wasn't sure. Probably both were okay.

"How may I help you?"

"I want to be a Saint of Athena. My parents were killed by Specters. I want to enter boarding school. I can work." Because, despite the generosity of the Sanctuary, boarding school still cost money.

"Wouldn't you rather be in an orphanage?" the Pope asked in a kind way. "There would be children your age, and you could enjoy your childhood. Becoming a saint is hard work, and revenge is hardly a good reason to become a Saint of Athena."

Albafica shook his head to the idea of an orphanage. "Because I want to fight for peace and justice. And because I want to defend those who can't defend themselves. Or I would not be here." He could feel the Pope studying him, looking not just with his eyes but also judging him as a whole, using what he considered to be instinct but might be called the sixth sense by others.

Finally, the Pope nodded. "The boarding school is not the place where saints are trained, but you will be placed there. If you later choose to pursue being a saint, then arrangements can be made."

"I want to be a Saint," Albifaca said not stubbornly but firmly, decisively. "I will be a Saint of Athena," he assured the Pope. He would be a good investment. He would protect the world. He would make sure fewer children lost their parents. He would make sure none of them had to run and hide from the world the way he did. He would do whatever it took even if it meant sacrificing himself body and soul.

He hadn't realized until that moment just how much he wanted to protect others.

He could feel the tightening of his entire body, from his chest to his tush. There were scattered memories. He didn't let himself cry, didn't even allow his eyes to tear up, because there were those who liked it when he did cry, and those who tried to reassure him weren't any better. A Saint of Athena should be strong. He would be. He would endure the pain without complaint. He could feel himself mentally withdrawing from that part of himself that had been hurt.

I will be a Saint of Athena, he promised the Pope.

He might be young and small now, but he would grow. He would be as fierce as any of the champions of peace and justice. He wasn't scared to get hurt. He could bear it. He already knew he could endure a lot of pain. And his instincts were strong. He could sense things others couldn't. Wasn't that the essence of a cosmos? He'd refine his cosmos until it glowed as brightly as a Gold Saint's.

"Please, Pope," he said and put all of his desires into those words. Surely the Pope could sense his dedication and resolve.

The Pope nodded. He could and was obviously moved. "I'll arrange for your training."

Albafica had promised the Pope he'd shine as brightly as a Gold Saint, and since he was a Pisces, that meant that only the Pisces Gold Cloth was available to him. And the Pisces temple was the one closest to the Pope's chambers so he would be able to protect the person to whom he was most grateful. Just beyond that was the temple of the Goddess Athena, and if not for her, there would be no Sanctuary and no champions of peace and justice. He owed them both his life, but even if that wasn't the case, he would fight to defend what they represented.

This time, he didn't use his charm to get to the top as he had to get an audience with the Pope. Or rather, he didn't want to use it to get his way. He never did. But he didn't have a choice. Was he supposed to mutilate himself to be recognized for his skills rather than his looks? And even if he did, they'd notice how beautiful he was except for that single flaw. Aww, you got a booboo.

It didn't even take a week for him to be noticed by all the trainers and trainees. The other trainees would have resented him if he was one of them, but he was different because he was beautiful so even his rivals liked him. Some people thought he was too young to wear a mask and that's why he didn't wear one. Others warned him that he would have to wear a mask someday in the future. And those who learned he was a boy often teased that he should be wearing a mask like a girl. It was stupid, but he didn't care. They either said it in good spirit or mean spirit but in an okay way. There were people to avoid in the Sanctuary but not the saints or people training to be saints.

He worked hard to develop his cosmos. He didn't actually find it that difficult to do. In fact, it felt quite natural. The things that had happened to him when he was young turned out to be useful after all, and he was able to turn his disadvantages into advantages so that his past haunted him less. His sixth sense, or instinct, was no different. He learned to manipulate it and soon excelled beyond his teachers.

Finally, that earned him the attention of the Gold Saints. Perhaps because the Taurus temple was close to the training grounds or perhaps because he was so friendly with the Silver and Bronze Saints, the first one to notice him or be informed about him was Aldebaran.

Even kneeling Aldebaran loomed over him. Albafica was awed but not intimidated. He refused to be intimidated. Someday, this would be his peer, an equal to be admired, not an "adult" to be feared. He'd feared too many adults in the past and knew which ones to fear and which ones to trust.

"Hi, there. So you're the little saint," Aldebaran said. "I've heard a lot about you."

Albafica smiled but shook his head. He knew some of the adults called him little saint in the way they might call him a little angel or any number of other affectionate terms. "I'm not a saint yet, and I've heard a lot about you too, Lord Aldebaran."

Aldebaran laughed. "So you know who I am."

"You're wearing the Gold Cloth of the Taurus Saint," he pointed out. Ah well. People who didn't know him often underestimated him because he was small, slender, and, of course, beautiful.

"Indeed, I am." Aldebaran laughed again but this time the look in his eyes changed. He was taking the young recruit more seriously.

Aldebaran picked him up and put him on a nearby boulder. At least it wasn't a pedestal; that would have been embarrassing (and had happened in the past). Albafica made sure to stand up straight, keeping his shoulders back and abs tight, and his balance was excellent. He raised his cosmos to a warm little golden glow in greeting. The others would say all he needed was a little golden halo to finish the look; wings were optional.

"Very good," Aldebaran said. "I hear you can burn your cosmos much brighter than this. Will you show me?"

Albafica nodded. He didn't close his eyes to concentrate or make a fist to gather his power like some of the others. He simply raised his cosmos. Aldebaran looked pleased.

"You're a very serious child, aren't you? And a very quiet one." Aldebaran patted him on the head, and Albafica smiled.

"It's not that I want to be, but if I'm not serious, people don't take me seriously. They don't even spar seriously with me." He cocked his head to one side, narrowed his eyes, and batted his eyelashes. He didn't mean to. It wasn't his fault he had beautiful lashes. But Aldebaran seemed more forgiving than most so it was ok to 'be cute' even though he wasn't being cute but trying to challenge an opponent with the same aplomb and mannerisms as the other trainees. "Will you spar seriously with me?"

He had to add the 'seriously' part just because he was worried someone as big as Aldebaran would be scared to hurt him. After a moment of thought, Aldebaran agreed. When Albafica attacked, he was unsurprised to bounce off Aldebaran's great cosmos. Realistically, his cosmos was not going to be equal to a Gold Saint's already, He knew that. That wasn't the point of this exercise. He rushed at Aldebaran and put a great deal more force behind his second blow but not all his strength. He was pleased to rebound hard enough to crack the boulder behind him. He knew how to use his cosmos to surround his body and take in the impact of the blow so he wasn't injured.

"Good! One more time!" Aldebaran stood with arms crossed.

Albafica smiled mischievously. "Watch out." It probably sounded ridiculous. He didn't even reach Aldebaran's waist. But he was determined. And this time, again putting only a part of his strength into his punch, in the split second after Aldebaran's cosmo burst like a flame to push him back, Albafica threw a white rose at him with all of his cosmos behind his attack. Albafica slammed into the bounder again, and at the same time, the stem hit Aldebaran in the chest just above his crossed arms.

"Hm, what's this?" Aldebaran picked up the now smashed rose from the ground.

"Bloody Rose," Albafica said. A breeze tossed his hair like wisteria in the wind. "Once thrown at an enemy, a white rose will pierce the heart and suck up your blood. When the rose turns red, you die."

Aldebaran chuckled and then broke into full-blown bellowing laughter. Albafica giggled too because it was hard not to get caught up in Aldebaran's joviality. He hopped onto the cracked boulder so they could be closer to eye-level.

"I warned you," Albafica said, still giggling.

"You're a Pisces then, I take it. Now where were you hiding that rose." Aldebaran frisked him—but not in a pervy way so it was okay.

He hid them on his left side under his shirt so that his right hand could grab one and he could easily extend his arm into a backhand throw. He was careful not to squish them, but he also gently surrounded them with his cosmos to further protect them and to make their stems harder.

"Demon Rose," Albafica said when Aldebaran held up the red rose. He identified the pink one as the Piranha Rose. "I can't find black roses so my Piranha Roses are pink." He gestured for Aldebaran to lean closer and whispered into his ear, "I'm making some by dyeing white roses with black ink." They shared some more laughs.

"I'm sure a thousand people have told you this, but let me just say: you're a very clever kid," Aldebaran said, still smiling and chuckling.

Albafica shook his head and made a face. "They say I'm beautiful."

"Well, not only that, don't worry. They do say your Cosmos is very strong, but I can see you must have worked hard to be noticed for it." Aldebaran scratched his head. "So you want to be the next Gold Saint of Pisces?"

Albafica nodded. "Very much so."

"Well, I don't know what he'll say, but I'll tell Pisces about you," Aldebaran said. "I think he'll be impressed or at least flattered. I doubt anyone has ever tried to become a saint in this way."

Albafica became so excited that he jumped over and hugged Aldebaran around the neck. "Thank you, Lord Aldebaran!"

Pisces was wearing street clothes on the day he came to see Albafica, but Albafica still recognized him by his cosmos. Albafica bowed low and then knelt down on one knee. "I'm honored to meet you, Lord Venus of Pisces."

"And I you," Venus said. He poured some milk for Albafica and tea for himself. "Please, let's not be so formal. Speak openly with me. You're five?" Albafica nodded. "We don't judge by age for the most part, but that is very, very young even to begin training"

"There are others. I'm not unready." Albafica pulled out a red rose and offered it to Pisces.

"This is-!" Pisces exclaimed.

"Demon Rose," Albafica said as he nodded.

"Aldebaran said you had little roses you pretended to be the roses of the Pisces Saint, but this is a real Demon Rose." Pisces frowned. "You shouldn't be going anywhere near the Demon Roses," he harshly scolded him. "They're poisonous."

Albafica became flushed. He was rarely scolded like this, usually people were much gentler when correcting him, but he could hear Pisces' fear for his life behind his anger so endure it.

"Being a Saint includes other martial skills. Don't be so eager to skip forward and learn the special attacks of the Pisces Gold Saint." When Albafica continued to silently sip at his milk without looking at him, Pisces' mood softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, but don't play with Demon Roses in the future. They can kill adults so imagine what they can do to a child."

"I know." Albafica finally looked up from his cup. "It's not a real Demon Rose."

Pisces' eyes widened. He pulled out the red rose. "It's changed." Pisces looked at Albafica, who began to blush under such scrutiny. "I see. You surrounded the rose with your Cosmos so it would have the same properties as a Demon Rose." He smiled. "I'm sorry." It was a different kind of apology this time, not one that came from having scared a kid. "Truly, I underestimated you. How did you know the properties of a Demon Rose?"

"You move them away when the Grand Pope has guests." Albafica smiled shyly. "Because he allowed me to stay in the Sanctuary, I paid attention when I was coming down and in the Pisces temple again."

Pisces studied him some more. "I want to confirm something. I'm going to give you a real Demon Rose. I won't let anything happen to you, but I want to see how you deal with it."

It was a real Demon Rose, but Albafica could feel Pisces' Cosmos lightly covering the Rose, dampening it's poisonous effects. It's what Albafica was going to do, but since Pisces was already doing it, Albafica used his Cosmos to surround himself. Then he reached out and put his hand on the Demon Rose. He slowly surrounded it with that same golden glow, gently nudging Pisces' Cosmos aside. The Demon Rose had the ability to affect the five senses, but once its dangerous powers were sealed, it was safe for Albafica to remove the soft golden Cosmos that had been surrounding and protecting his body. He smiled hopefully at Pisces.

"You are very likely the reincarnation of one of the past Pisces Gold Saints," Pisces said thoughtfully. "Yes, I'll take you as my student."

Once Albafica started to train with a Gold Saint, he seemed to remain aloof from others. Suddenly, he was viewed as a cold beauty.

He didn't mind too much. He wanted to have friends, especially since he could now that he'd met good people like the Saints of Athena. It hurt his feelings a little to have even other Saints think him arrogant. But it was a price worth paying if it made him stronger.

"You don't have to do this," Pisces said. "Being immune to poison is enough. I never absorbed the poison into my blood. The Pope would understand."

Albafica toyed with a budding Demon Rose. It wasn't poisonous yet and wouldn't be until it bloomed. "I want to be as powerful as possible to protect as many people as possible."

"It will be a very lonely life."

"If it means being able to protect even one more person that I couldn't without the Crimson Thorn, then it will be worth it." He rolled the stem of the Demon Rose back and forth between his fingers. "At least I have a few more years before my blood becomes too poisonous."

"Maybe you should start your poisoning later so you have a little more time to mingle with others," Pisces suggested.

"No. The enemy can attack at any time. I need to be ready for them," Albafica said with the same resolve as a true Saint of Athena.

"Why do you fight?" Pisces asked. "For love, peace, and justice is a good reason, but they're abstract concept—easy self-righteous answers anyone could come up with, Asmita would say. If you have something more, you'll find the strength to go beyond your limits."

Albafica was silent for a moment and felt more isolated than ever before. "When I was young..." He found that he couldn't say it after all. "Being beautiful can be a curse. The Specter who killed my parents wanted to keep me. He wasn't the only one. There were people before and after him." He stopped fiddling with the rose and looked directly into Pisces' eyes. "I want to protect as many people as I can from experiencing that. I believe Athena will make the world a better place, and when she's born, I want to be there to protect her. But even before Athena's rebirth, the Grand Pope of Sanctuary is making the world a better place, and I want to help him do that."

Pisces expression was tender. "I'm sorry. You never mentioned before that you were molested. It's hard to believe. You're so young."

"I never said." Usually, he would become distant, but he'd become close to his teacher and didn't want to be the way he was. "Even hearing that word, it feels like it happened to someone else. It made me more sensitive to the world around me."

"I'm sorry. I'm not good at this." Venus took Albafica's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "All things heal with time, and I'm sure the same will be true for you."

Albafica nodded and rested his head against his teacher's shoulder. "I know. When I'm a Saint."


End file.
